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Ethiopia’s highlands are rich in natural beauty, but years of farming, cattle herding, and population growth have caused severe deforestation and environmental damage. Since 2018, Plant With Purpose has worked with farmers, church leaders, and local officials to restore watersheds and heal the land.

Empowering Women

Women are a key part of this effort, with new programs designed to increase their leadership and impact. By rebuilding the land, Plant With Purpose is also restoring relationships within communities and creation.

Green Sanctuaries

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church has long practiced forest care, creating green sanctuaries around churches—a powerful example of faith-driven stewardship. The churches' long tradition of forest protection aligns with Plant With Purpose’s mission to restore watersheds and empower communities. By working together, they are building green corridors between church sites to protect biodiversity.

Expand the Work in Ethiopia

Key Stats

3
Program Watersheds
596
Savings Groups
11,573
Participating Families
55,782
People
97
Church Partnerships
4,046,169
Trees Planted
Ethiopia Fact Sheet coming soon!

Meet Some of Our Partners from Ethiopia

Select an image to learn more.

Gateye becomes a community leader through tree planting.

Gateye becomes a community leader through tree planting.

Gateye is a member of a community with a successful tree nursery in Ethiopia. He is the eucalyptus merchant. Before joining a Purpose Group, he only did manual labor and didn’t participate in things like selling seedlings. When Plant With Purpose began work in his community, he got the opportunity to participate in tree nursery training and decide whether to establish a nursery. After the nursery was established through a social fund that all local community members contributed to, Gateye became a role model for the community. He actively participated and attended all meetings. He produced 15,000 birr in the dry season. He sold seedlings for 4 birr each. When he got a loan for 60,000 birr, he expanded his business by adding other seedling species, which the local community frequently purchases.

Emawey finds the freedom to expand her business.

Emawey finds the freedom to expand her business.

Entrepreneur Emawey is a member of a Purpose Group. She is educated and expected to be employed after graduation, but she did not have the opportunity to work. As a result, she is obliged to be self-employed.

Emawey started her own small shop and sold consumable products like matches. Her small business was profitable, but she was unable to expand her business because she did not have access to capital. Traditional financial institutions would not loan to her because she did not have property for collateral. She was unwilling to take a private loan because she saw the high interest rate and knew it could lead to bankruptcy. During this time, Plant With Purpose started its development work and set up a Purpose Group near her community. Emaway observed this and eventually joined the second Purpose Group in her area.

Six months later, Emaway was able to receive a loan from her savings group and expand her business to include onion, pepper, and other spices. Currently, she says that “everyone, particularly an individual who wants to start a small business and plans to engage in retailer activity should join a Purpose Group.”

BirieMinwagew’s reslience after a break-in and theft

BirieMinwagew’s reslience after a break-in and theft

BirieMinwagew has been a member of a Purpose Group for two years. Since 2019, his livelihood depends on only trading shoes. He has received three loans and paid them back on time. He was recently elected treasure of the group. But after a few weeks, an unexpected break-in happened in his home, and he lost his stock of shoes, which was estimated to be valued at a minimum of 20,000 birr (about $400). Due to the break-in, he did not have cash available, and the only solution was to borrow from the savings group and apply with a social fund contribution. Based on the savings group loan application form the group allowed, the loan is repayable at 1200 birr at the interest rate 3% and social contribution (which is not repayable) of 4000 birr. Now, he has been able to start trading shoes again. Of the event, he shared that “Plant With Purpose savings group is a means to cope with an unforeseen event.”

Frequently Asked Questions

Our participant communities are in Andabet, which is in South Gondar of the Amhara region. Program placement is based on multiple factors including organizational connection with key stakeholders, assessment of community readiness, and need for our program.
There has been ongoing conflict along the Amhara/Tigray border, which is a distance from our participant communities. We have had periods of imminent danger in our participant communities, but the conflict has not come into our communities directly. We work closely with our Ethiopian partners to ensure safety and security for our employees and participants.
We are privileged to be one of only a few organizations collaborating with the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC). The EOTC is the largest church in Ethiopia, and many of our participants in the Amhara region are members of the EOTC.
Our model is unique in that it incorporates economic empowerment, environmental restoration, and spiritual renewal. This model has proven to be a powerful transformational approach in the rural farming communities where we work.
READ MORE FAQs

Our Global Impact

Thailand

  • 84 Purpose Groups
  • 5,110 People Served
  • 342 Church Partnerships
  • 3,374,535 Trees Planted
  • More about our work in Thailand

    Tanzania

  • 582 Purpose Groups
  • 67,921 People Served
  • 342 Church Partnerships
  • 19,729,850 Trees Planted
  • More about our work in Tanzania

    Mexico

  • 379 Purpose Groups
  • 21,625 People Served
  • 126 Church Partnerships
  • 1,332,187 Trees Planted
  • More about our work in Mexico

    Haiti

  • 721 Purpose Groups
  • 96,451 People Served
  • 151 Church Partnerships
  • 8,029,768 Trees Planted
  • More about our work in Haiti

    Ethiopia

  • 596 Purpose Groups
  • 55,782 People Served
  • 97 Church Partnerships
  • 4,046,169 Trees Planted
  • More about our work in Ethiopia

    Dominican Republic

  • 437 Purpose Groups
  • 46,380 People Served
  • 211 Church Partnerships
  • 23,114,641 Trees Planted
  • More about our work in Dominican Republic

    Democratic Republic of the Congo

  • 369 Purpose Groups
  • 90,272 People Served
  • 211 Church Partnerships
  • 6,853,745 Trees Planted
  • More about our work in the DRC

    Burundi

  • 979 Purpose Groups
  • 139,567 People Served
  • 211 Church Partnerships
  • 10,183,268 Trees Planted
  • More about our work in Burundi

    USA

    Our Global Headquarters:
    5075 Shoreham Place, Suite 240
    San Diego, CA 92122

    858.274.3718
    [email protected]

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